{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rounds-leads-legislation-to-address-federal-government-overreach-on-south-dakota-farmers-ranchers-and-landowners", "Rounds Leads Legislation to Address Federal Government Overreach on South Dakota Farmers, Ranchers and Landowners", "2023-12-01", "2023", "2023-12", "Republican", "Senate", "SD", "Mike Rounds", "R000605", "www.rounds.senate.gov", "rounds", "https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) introduced legislation to address federal overreach and provide regulatory certainty to South Dakota farmers, ranchers and landowners. The Farmers Freedom Act of 2023 would protect the definition of prior converted cropland (PCC) in the Biden administration\u2019s most recent Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule.\n\nThe Farmers Freedom Act of 2023 is cosponsored by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Mike Braun (R-Ind.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.).\n\n\u201cFor far too long, South Dakota producers have been subject to a number of complex and burdensome WOTUS rule changes,\u201d said Rounds. \u201cWhile past administrations have issued problematic WOTUS rules, the previous Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) worked to protect owners of prior converted cropland from undue regulation while providing producers with needed flexibility. This legislation seeks to restore this definition of PCC and prevent further overreach on South Dakota farmers and ranchers, who know their land better than any D.C. bureaucrats.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Biden administration continues to burden American agriculture with onerous rules,\u201d said Ricketts. \u201cProducers need relief, not regulation. I\u2019m pleased to support this effort to bring certainty to landowners and prevent more big government overreach.\u201d\n\n\u201cSince coming to Congress, I have worked to protect our farmers from the reckless overreach of the Biden Administration and its misaligned use of WOTUS,\u201d said Marshall. \u201cWhile I\u2019m disappointed to see this Administration defy the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s ruling on the issue, we cannot give up our fight to protect our landowners from more red tape and burdensome regulations. We must provide certainty to close loopholes that can and will be abused by the EPA in its attempt to regulate every pond, stream and puddle.\u201d\n\n\u201cFarmers supported President Trump\u2019s definition of WOTUS because it gave them clear protections for prior converted cropland,\u201d said Braun. \u201cI am proud to cosponsor the Farmers Freedom Act, which reinstates the Trump-era protections and gives farmers much-needed peace of mind.\u201d\n\n\u201cLandowners need more freedom to use their land as they see fit without excessive, burdensome environmental regulations,\u201d said Cramer. \u201cThe Biden administration is deferring to a loosely-defined and arbitrary definition for prior converted croplands which creates uncertainty for landowners, especially those in the Prairie Pothole region. Our producers will always be better caretakers of the land than federal bureaucrats in Washington, and the administration should acknowledge it.\u201d\n\nFor the last several decades, wetlands converted to cropland before 1985 have remained exempt from WOTUS regulation. Under the Biden administration\u2019s rule, previously-converted cropland could revert to a wetland status if it is unavailable for commodity production. Specifically, if a section of PCC floods and is unable to produce commodities, it could be subject to regulation under the authority of the Clean Water Act.\n\nThe Farmers Freedom Act of 2023 is supported by the South Dakota Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau.\n\n\u201cUnfortunately, the definition of prior converted cropland (PCC) in the latest WOTUS rule will only contribute to further uncertainty for producers,\u201d said South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott VanderWal. \u201cI thank Senator Rounds for introducing legislation to address this problematic piece in the latest reiteration of WOTUS.\u201d\n\n\u201cFarmers take seriously the responsibility for properly caring for the land they\u2019ve been entrusted with,\u201d said Courtney Briggs, American Farm Bureau\u2019s Senior Director of Government Affairs. \u201cThe current rules surrounding prior converted cropland make it difficult for farmers to ensure they are making the best use of their land while protecting the environment. We appreciate Sen. Rounds for working to bring clarity to the PCC exclusion.\u201d\n\nBACKGROUND:\n\nFor the last several decades, wetlands that were drained to be cropland prior to 1985 have remained exempt from regulation under the Clean Water Act.\n\nIn 2015, the Obama administration finalized a rule that expanded the definition of WOTUS, creating confusion and burdensome red tape, especially for South Dakota\u2019s agricultural communities.\n\nThe Trump administration released a proposed rule to replace the 2015 WOTUS rule with a new one that provided much-needed predictability and certainty for farmers by establishing clear and reasonable definitions of what qualifies as a \u201cwater of the United States.\u201d The Navigable Waters Protection Rule (NWPR) was finalized in 2020.\n\nThe NWPR clarified the rules governing PCC, protecting impacted land from Clean Water Act regulation as long it was used for agricultural purposes once every five years.\n\nOn day one of his administration, President Biden signed an executive order to begin the process of rolling back the Trump administration\u2019s NWPR.\n\nIn December 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a new rule repealing the NWPR and changing the definition of WOTUS in a way that will expand federal regulatory authority.\n\nThe Biden administration\u2019s WOTUS rule also tightened the regulations guiding PCC, allowing the federal government to end the exemption for such land immediately upon a change in use.\n\nIn May 2023, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency that overturned the previous 2022 WOTUS rule.\n\nIn August 2023, the EPA issued a new iteration of the WOTUS rule with changes after Sackett, which retained the problematic definition of PCC.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:14:16Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rounds-leads-legislation-to-address-federal-government-overreach-on-south-dakota-farmers-ranchers-and-landowners"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9203830268234015, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}